Reborn
by Richie S
Summary: Dawn Star contemplates reincarnation and where people go after their lives end.


Dawn Star pondered her divinity for a moment, or was it for a near eternity? It was difficult to tell because divinity was so new to her. After all she certainly had not been born that way, she was a human girl born to Master Li and his wife Sun Lin. That was until heaven decided to intervene. After ages of "just being friends and colleagues" the Great Dragon had declared his undying love for the Water Dragon and took her as his consort promoting her to office of Heavenly Empress at his side. This of course left her position as guardian of the water and shepherd of the dead vacant. Not wanting to ignite a political feud in heaven over who would take over the two dragons decided to ascend a mortal to be her replacement.

With her help in freeing the Water Dragon from the Sun Dynasty and her already close proximity to the Spirit World, Dawn Star was the obvious choice. She was thus summoned to heaven and gifted with a Heavenly Peach, which of course only deities were supposed to partake of. One bite later and she was now a goddess. Surprise! It took some getting used to, the vast knowledge, and the untold power along with having to deal with the constant flirtation of Fox Spirits trying to raise up in rank. It took her about a century to master the wisdom and power that came with being a deity. And another 2 decades besides that to settle things with the Fox Spirits. She finally out of morbid curiosity led on several Fox Spirits that she was interested and expressed desire to have a tournament to win her favor. This of course soon deteriorated into a massive brawl ended with the Forest Shadow dishing out a vicious thrashing to all participants before promising Dawn Star that there would be no further problems.

With this incident behind her Dawn Star finally felt that she was starting to get the hang of being a deity. After all she enjoyed her work, the shepherding of the dead and assigning to their new role in their next life. This position had the particular perk of allowing her to stay in touch with her friends. Dawn Star laughed at some of the memories of the lives that she had assigned to her former companions. There was the time when Master Li and Gao the Lesser were reborn as queen ants of feuding colonies. After this they were promoted to stray dogs on the outskirts of the Imperial City. They then were assigned to be rat demons until out of pity Dawn Star finally gave them back the dignified position of horses in the service the Imperial Army. Of course Jen Zi and Sky fared better. The hero of the empire was reborn as Sun Lian's great granddaughter and Empress. Sky of course was reborn as her loyal general and husband. Wildflower was of course reborn as their daughter and as for Lian she was reborn as their humble chambermaid. Later on of course that royal family was reborn as happy family in the Imperial City while Lian became Minister Sheng's wife in Tien's Landing (the man was reborn in the same position for four lifetimes and counting!)

Sagacious Zu enjoyed time as a noble eagle while Henpecked Hou and the Black Whirlwind were regularly alternated, one became a humble bun master and the other a fearless mercenary before exchanging places again and again. Lord Lao occasionally popped up as he sometimes destroyed his earthly forms without an immediate replacement available. Dawn Star had grown fond of him as a friend who was also struggling with his divinity, in fact her first century as a goddess would have been impossible without him sharing his experience of life in heaven and earth. It was he who taught her to contemplate her situation and only when her mind was neither quiet nor occupied but present that she was able to decide on the appropriate placement of a soul.

Which led her to her current situation. Her father, Sun Li was set to be reincarnated, something she originally had intended to do as something non-human. However the Great Dragon had informed her that Heaven would not tolerate this again, that he must this time be reincarnated as a human. Sighing, Dawn Star pondered every single outcome. She of course did not hate her father but pitied him. Divinity had shown how limited and pitied the schemes of the Sun Brothers were compared to the Heavens. But still, where to place him? He still had around ten lifetimes to go pay off the karmic debt of his earlier actions, where could he go as a human? Then it occurred to her. His ambition would be slated over the role of bun master! He would be reborn as a pitiful bun master afflicted by a quarrelsome wife. Then he would be reborn as the wife. Then a much pressed upon, soldier in the army, then an underworked, half-crazed sergeant. As her father neared the halfway point of his debt cycle he would be reborn as a monk, then as an abbot before finding experiencing the other side of life as a failed poet turned womanizing drunk. Then finally a turn in Minister Sheng's current position and then a short-lived life as a slave her father would finally be "settled" in his debt. What to do with him then? A farmer in a small, out of the way village in the Borderlands would do him just find. Except of course he would have zero aptitude for the martial arts! Dawn Star realized that divinity was getting a little bit easier as time went on.


End file.
